Batman takes many forms on the silver screen. From a gothic blockbuster to a serious, semi-realistic action movie; From slapstick farce to controversial blockbuster he’s got a second chance. And Batman himself? She’s had more diverse iterations over the years than Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, and Jesus. We saw The Dark Knight as a mass murderer and Martha muttered Ben Affleck; Christian Bale is emotionally tired. And we haven’t forgotten George Clooney’s attempt to destroy the franchise.
Between all these different versions – where many wrongly ignored in the cartoon – is there still room to start again with a completely new take on Batman? Is there an iteration left, an angle that has yet to be explored? Director Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, Let Me In, Dawn of the and War for the Planet of the Apes) definitely saw a bat-shaped hole he could jump into. After spending three hours in that jet black hole, there is no way I can classify this new Batman movie as redundant.
Batman sits somewhere between Nolan’s earnest, real-life trilogy and Burton’s gothic half-comedy. The movie is a bit unrealistic or supernatural, but it’s a rather serious crime thriller in which two costumed freaks lead the plot. It feels somewhat like a solid continuation of Joker (2019)’s unique style, with a similarly bleak Gotham City and a similar psychological flair. Meanwhile, The Batman is darker, with sets that seem to have been pulled straight from Dracula’s Castle and a sad, bone-severing soundtrack.
Batman is a three-hour detective noir with Robert Pattinson disguised as a frustrating hub. It’s a heavy film with no sense of humor at all. These style choices have proven unsuccessful in some of Zack Snyder’s unrevealed films. But Matt Reeves knows how to handle it much better in my opinion, because I never for a moment felt that there was a contradiction between the credibility of the events and the way the characters act. Batman is dark in nature, but he managed to implement this choice of style in every possible way: in sound, image, acting and even movement.
As mentioned, Batman could almost be called a crime drama, in an old classic way. It might seem strange to compare this DC Comics movie to something like The Godfather, Chinatown, or Taxi Driver, but Reeves was clearly inspired by these crime movies from the ’70s. Filled with morally suspect characters, including corrupt cops and other law enforcement officers, who are almost indistinguishable from gangsters. You might almost doubt the morals of Jim Gordon and Batman themselves, because it’s hard to remain a good person in this incredibly mysterious world.
As befits a ’70s-inspired crime thriller, The Batman cast also consists primarily of toxic men, with women primarily serving Eye candy and women in distress† This makes Zoë Kravitz especially stand out, as she definitely stands her ground as Selina Kyle, a cat-loving, anti-money-stealing heroine. She is indeed Catwoman, though (as in the Nolan movie) she was never called by that name. Kravitz is similar to Michelle Pfeiffer’s version of Catwoman, only with a little less self-irony, leaving Anne Hathaway to bite the dust hard in my opinion. I think she’s exactly what this character should be: a daring, independent cat thief, who doesn’t resist Batman despite – or because of – her less-respected agenda. So it’s the romantic interest of Caped Crusader, not Bruce Wayne.
Speaking of Bruce Wayne, Robert Pattinson is by far the most emo version of this millionaire’s son to date. He’s always totally upset, even when he’s donning a suit to keep up appearances with Gotham’s elite. The corners of his mouth never seemed to point anywhere but the deep south. This depressing disposition is underlined by the smeared black eyeshadow left over from his late-night adventures like “Vengeance.” Well, that bleak acting fit Pattinson perfectly, so I hardly missed the playboy Bruce Wayne poster. A few passionate chats with Alfred (played by Andy Serkis) are more than enough to solidify the personality of this alter ego.
So, Bruce is a follower of Batman in this iteration, but you immediately understand why when you see Pattinson in a bat suit. Batbat radiates a calm and intense menace, making him the most intimidating Batman yet. He says nothing except when absolutely necessary, and when he does speak he whispers a little, which is what comforts him after Bill’s hoarse panting. Except for later moments in the movie, when the Dark Knight is in deep trouble, Batman appears to be in complete control of every situation, even standing between a few dozen cops who are only happy to take his mask off. They want to hit his head. . This Batman is not a prankster or an action hero or a superman killer, no, this is the greatest and most badass detective in the world.
Despite the fact that The Batman is the thousandth installment of The Defender of Gotham, it is an absolutely amazing original movie. From the very first minute, Matt Reeves tries to trick you to the end you never know what to expect. This isn’t a predictable movie that will throw the same amount of movement and feeling into your head based on three clearly defined acts. No, this movie comes at its craziest moment with a new twist, a ball of unexpected impact.
This new script is brought to life by the very serious but special roles of Jeffrey Wright as Jim Gordon and Colin Farrell – who reminds us of Robert De Niro in his best years thanks to a layer of prosthetics – and genius Paul Dano…a little better to say. But also the ruthless operatic Michael Giacchino Audio recording A staple of the strength of this movie, with variations on Avé Maria and Nirvana’s Something in the Way that leave you somewhat uncomfortable on the edge of your cinema seat for three hours. No, this work on Batman is by no means necessary. In fact, Matt Reeves’ version is, in my opinion, the most interesting since Batman: The Animated Series. I almost forgot the Batfleck movie…
Batman will arrive in theaters March 3, 2022.